How do I find vertical experts?

I recently got this question:

"How do we find those vertical SMEs that we can work with on a contract basis for the time being?"

He's referring to this post where I talk about saving 15 months by hiring independent vertical subject matter experts (SMEs).

In short, vertical SMEs have connections, experience, and respect in your target vertical.

Hiring them shortcuts your learning curve.

Here's my response to him, and sharing it here in case it's helpful to you:

A good place to find vertical SMEs for hire is LinkedIn. Start by searching for "manufacturing consultant" (if you're target vertical is manufacturing). This search returned about 143,000 results. Refine your search from there.

If you have a follow-up question, hit reply and let me know!

CQ